Drowning in Fire
by Slytherin Starlets
Summary: "Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father." Could have Severus Snape and James Potter's loathing of one another been caused by a certain redhead?
1. Chapter One

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Drowning in Fire

by _The Slytherin Starlets_

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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to the simply brilliant J.K. Rowling. :) The character of Airelle Vilka belongs to Airelle Vilka (the author, not...the character. A bit confusing), a true fanfiction goddess who should be worshipped and praised by all. Er...we're not creepy psycho stalkers. Just...very enthusiastic fans. *nods vigorously* Right.

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Author's Note: One day, She's a Star and Gedia Kacela were discussing the wonderful works of Airelle Vilka. 

"She's so amazingly brilliant," She's a Star said in awe.

"I know," replied Gedia wistfully. "If only I could write as well as she could..."

"Her work makes you want to write Snape fics, doesn't it?" She's a Star asked. 

"Yes, it does," Gedia agreed. 

"Maybe we should write one!" suggested She's a Star.

And so they did.

~*~

The first snow of the winter had fallen the night before, and it was glorious. Shimmering white stretched outward as far as they eye could see, dancing lazily from an ice blue sky. 

Seventeen year old Severus Snape made his way through the Hogwarts grounds, his steps brisk and efficient. 

"You're moving awfully fast, for someone who has nowhere to be," his best friend, Airelle Vilka commented with a wry smile. 

"My desired location is as far away from _them_ as possible," Snape spat in return.

_Them_ was the group of whooping, noisy boys hurling snowballs at once another while the majority of the seventh year Hogwarts students looked on in amusement.

The majority of the students being so enthralled with the Marauders wasn't what annoyed Snape.

No, it was _one_ of the students. 

Lily Evans laughed delightedly as she watched the scene unravel, brilliant green eyes sparkling like emeralds dancing in the face of fire. Her crimson locks caressed flushed cheeks as the light wind teased her hair. 

"James, look out!" her sweet, musical voice cried out in warning milliseconds before James Potter was hit smack dab in the chest by a rogue snowball. 

"Sirius!" Potter growled in mock anger.

Snape rolled his ebony eyes, not bothering to hide his dislike of them. They were such fools, all of them. How could Lily stand them?? When she'd first come to Hogwarts, she, Snape, and Airelle had been inseparable. Airelle and Snape had always been closer friends, but Lily never failed to pay attention to them.

And then she'd returned to Hogwarts for her fifth year bubbly, outgoing, and gorgeous. Of course, Snape was no longer worthy of her company...instead, the Marauders snatched her up in a whirlwind of jokes and obnoxious pranks. 

Lily adored them all. Especially Potter.

Damn James Potter.

"You aren't as skilled at hiding your emotions as you'd like to think, Snape," Airelle said.

He didn't dare look at her. His friend was quite adept at reading his emotions in his eyes, since his sallow face rarely betrayed his feelings. "I don't know what you mean, Airelle."

She snorted. "Like hell. I know you better than anyone else, and I know what you are thinking."

"Since when did you acquire this astounding ability of reading minds?" he snapped moodily.

"Ever since I've known you, you git." She grinned widely at him, the wind tossing her white hair in each and every direction. Airelle had known Snape for far too long not to notice his all-too-obvious (to her) attraction to a certain Gryffindor girl whose name began with an 'L' and ended in 'ily.'

To be sure, it was an odd thing to watch her friend gaze enviously at the scene they had just left. Before, they had been bonded even more closely by the fact that neither had any desire to date or even think of such a thing. To her, it seemed as if the rest of her classmates possessed sets of very overactive hormones, what with the way they would sneak off to snog in the bushes at dances.

Despite her lack of experience, she knew. She knew from the angry flash in Snape's eyes whenever he looked at Potter, compared to the way the black rocks of his eyes softened into deep pools when he stared at Lily, that he liked her as more than just a friend. She'd never seen him look at HER that way, and by Merlin's beard, she'd slug him if he ever did.

She gave him a sidelong glance, noticing the grim set of his hawkish profile. After a moment, she decided that it was best to leave well enough alone, for now. She could always torture him later.

He glared at her. "What on earth are you looking at?"

"You," she responded, contorting her face into an exaggerated grimace. "You look so..."

His thin lips pressed together they way they always did when he was irritated. "Shut up, Airelle."

"Have it your way. I have to be going anyway. I have that dratted exam to study for before tomorrow." She paused, glancing over at him once again as she attempted to calm her wind-blown hair. "Care to join me?"

"No." His answer was soft, yet curt. She knew better than to argue.

"See you at breakfast then."

He didn't respond and kept walking. It took him nearly a full minute to realize that Airelle had left him, and a sigh slipped from his lips. He had wished she would have stayed, but hated to admit so. After all, he had fought so hard to not be weak that he couldn't even let his guard down around his closest friend at times.

But, she would have only teased him further, though her teasing was in friendship, not in cruelty. Another sigh escaped into the chilled air as a puff of fog. At least he would have had someone to walk with. But he didn't. So he simply continued on in his hurried steps, taking himself further and further away from Lily's crystalline laugh and Potter's miserable countenance.

Damn Potter. Damn them all.

~*~

Lily Evans was still laughing to herself as she stepped inside Hogwarts, eager to get to the Gryffindor common room and warm her hands in front of the cheerfully dancing orange fire. She walked through the corridor slowly, attempting to untangle her fiery curls at the same time. 

"Your flock of adoring fans appear to have left you, Evans."

Rolling her eyes, Lily turned around and placed her hands on her hips. Severus Snape stood before her, dark eyes blank and emotionless.

"Hi Severus," she responded with a bright grin that she knew would annoy him. "Long time, no see."

"You're too busy with that..._Potter_ and his friends, no doubt," Severus sneered in reply.

"Your unwavering loathing of them is getting to be a bit juvenile, you know," commented Lily innocently. A malicious sparkle began to dance in his eyes.

"You know that they wouldn't give you the time of day if you weren't beautiful."

Lily didn't bother to argue. She wasn't sure if it was untrue herself, and even if she was, Severus would never believe her. 

"And you don't give me the time of day now that I apparently am," Lily replied coolly. "I don't see a difference."

Her friend's eyes swept across her coldly for a moment before he turned and disappeared down the corridor.

"Moron," Lily muttered angrily.

"Hey, Lil!"

She turned around, bringing The Smile back full force. 

"Hey, James," she said, making her way towards him. 

"Was that Snape you were talking to?" he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Yup," Lily responded.

"God, Lil, I don't know why you hang out with that overgrown bat," James said, running a hand through tousled black hair. "Slimy bastard."

"Now, now, now, Mr. Potter," she chided teasingly. "Don't use such nasty words in the presence of a lady."

"My most humble apologies," James replied, adapting a stuffy tone. "May I ask to have the honor of escorting the lady back to the Gryffindor common room?"

Lily nodded regally, holding back giggles. "But of course, good sir."

She looped her arm through his own, momentarily forgetting Severus Snape and the lightest trace of jealousy she'd spotted in his eyes.

~*~


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Snape strode viciously around the bedchambers he shared with the Slytherin boys, muttering to himself. His fists clenched and unclenched, his short fingernails digging dangerously into his skin. Never before had he wanted to hit anything as much as he did now. He wanted to lash out at the stone walls and wooden door, but more than that he wanted to knock Potter senseless.

"Slimy bastard... I'll give you a slimy bastard..." He slammed his fist against the wall, and immediately regretted it. He withdrew his fist and cupped it in his other hand, massaging his injured knuckles. "Damn it all," he muttered, turning in a whirl of robes to storm down the stairs and out of the common room amidst his housemates' curious stares. 

Lucius Malfoy arose from where he was flirting with a Slytherin girl and followed his friend, slipping out before the portrait once again covered the entrance. Severus was already halfway down the hallway, moving quickly. Malfoy quickened his steps to catch up.

"Sneaking out for a late-night rendezvous, eh Severus?" he joked. Snape didn't answer, but his expression grew even darker than it already was, if that was even possible. Malfoy tried a different approach. "Ah, I see. Then we are out to murder someone in their bed? Sounds like fun."

Snape turned on him with a snarl. " 'We' are not going anywhere, Lucius." Stuffing his hand in the pockets of his robes, he stalked away, hoping to leave his fellow Slytherin behind. The only person he would tolerate talking to right now was Lily, but as that situation was highly unlikely, he wanted only to be left in alone.

However, Malfoy had other plans. The attractive Slytherin boy matched his steps to those of the brooding, self-proclaimed outcast of Hogwarts.

"I thought I told you to leave?"

A smile tugged at Malfoy's face. "You said no such thing. You simply said that we were not going anywhere. I simply figured that I would join you on your journey to nowhere. If you would have asked me to leave, I would have gratefully respected your wishes."

"Very well. Leave."

The smile broadened. "As much as I respect your wishes, I cannot follow them." He laughed. "After all, I have an obligation to fill to Hogwarts."

"And what, pray tell, is that?"

"To prevent you from murdering James Potter and causing an uproar... before we graduate."

The words caused Snape to stop dead in his tracks. Was his hatred so blatantly obvious that the entire school knew of his supposedly secret affairs? But that was not what bothered him the most, he realized. What had truly caught his attention were the last three words Malfoy had spoken. 'Before we graduate,' like he would condone the murder of Potter after that event.

He turned to Malfoy, his dark hair falling over his face as it usually did. "What do you mean by that?"

A malicious smile crept over his friend's face, icy eyes sparkling with an untold secret. "Let's just say that it could be completely in your power whether Potter has the successful future everyone apparently thinks he deserves."

"Don't talk nonsense to me, Lucius," Snape snapped, "Tell me straight out what you're babbling on about or don't waste my time."

"You'll find out in good time," Malfoy said simply, eyes still shining as he turned and disappeared down the corridor.

Though he wasn't about to show it, Snape was bewildered by his friend's strange behavior. What the hell was he rambling on about, suggesting that he had the power to _kill_ Potter? 

Shaking his head, he attempted to dismiss it all as talk. After all, what else _could_ it be, unless his after-graduation plans were to start a 'Let's Kill Potter' club. 

But vicious, conniving, and sly as he was, Lucius Malfoy was a man who meant what he said.

~*~

Lily was worried.

Around her in the Gryffindor seventh year girls' dorm, her friends were giggling and swapping gossip, activities which Lily usually enjoyed. But tonight, she remained quiet, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Lil, you're sure quiet tonight," Vanessa Holmes commented. 

"Is something wrong?" Jaina Watson asked in her signature soft tone, looking concerned as she tucked a loose strand of silky black hair behind her ear.

"No," Lily replied automatically, then added as an afterthought, "Not really. Nothing important."

"If it's bugging you, it's obviously important," Vanessa said. "What is it?"

"It's just that Severus seems completely disgusted by me now," Lily said. "He just _loathes_ James, and I feel like I haven't been paying enough attention to Severus and Airelle, and-"

"Ugh," cut in Priscilla Anderson, wrinkling her perfectly shaped nose in disgust. "That Severus Snape is _so_ disgusting. I mean, he apparently doesn't know how to operate a shower. His hair just _drips_ grease. It's _disgusting._"

"True as that may be, shut up," ordered Vanessa. "He's Lily's friend....though I'm sorry Lil, but I can't see why."

"I mean, you should just forget the slimeball and go with James. He's so _cute_!" squealed Priscilla.

"And he likes you, Lily," added Vanessa teasingly.

"You two _would_ make a nice couple," Jaina said.

Lily resisted the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. It was obvious that she couldn't even begin to discuss anything with her friends. 

"I'm going to go walk around the corridors for a bit," she announced before rising from her four-poster and leaving the dormitory. She made her way quickly through the common room, not wanting to talk to anyone. Much as she liked her fellow Gryffindors, sometimes they drove her absolutely _nuts_.

The sound of her footsteps on the stone floor filled her ears as she made her way aimlessly down the hall, wishing for someone, _anyone_ that she could talk to.

A glimpse of long white hair on the other side of the long hallway served as the answer.

"Airelle!" Lily called, voice echoing through the corridor.

Her Ravenclaw friend spun around, a smile on her face. "Lily! Hi!"

Lily hurried to catch up to her and once she had, announced, "You're just the person I needed to see."

~*~

Airelle couldn't say that she wasn't surprised to have Lily telling her that she was the person she needed to see, because frankly, Lily hadn't been all that close to the Ravenclaw girl, especially the past year. But then again, Airelle wasn't one to hold grudges.

"What is it, Lily?"

The Gryffindor girl seemed hesitant. "Do you have time to talk?"

"Certainly. There's always time for a friend."

The words made Lily flinch. Some friend she had turned out to be, ignoring both Airelle and Severus. 

"Thanks," she said.

Airelle leaned back against the wall, adjusting her signature headband as she waited for Lily to begin. When she didn't, she inquired, "So, are we planning on

a heart-to-heart, a simple chat-in-the-hallway, or asking for advice?"

Lily glanced up. "I'm not exactly sure. I just...need to talk to you."

"All right." She waved her hand, giving the girl an encouraging smile. "Talk."

The red-head joined Airelle in leaning against the wall with a heavy sigh. "Do you feel like I've been... ignoring you?"

Airelle's brow furrowed. She had definitely not been expecting this. "Do you feel like you have been?"

"Please," she answered plaintively, "Don't turn the question around on me. I don't know what I feel right now."

"Well then, can I pose another question?" Lily nodded. "What exactly has brought on this sudden guilt that you feel you have... ignored me?"

A sigh escaped her lips. "Severus, actually."

Airelle had to choke back a laugh. Oh, this was rich. "Really?" was all she managed to get out without smiling.

"Yes. He stopped me today on my way to Gryffindor...and I was a bit... curt with him. I mean, not that he wasn't, but he's always that way, and it got me thinking, and I realized that it's been ages since I've actually _talked_ to you two, and I _cannot_ talk to

the girls in Gryffindor about anything remotely serious... and... I'm rambling," she admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"Well, I must admit that is the most I've heard you say to me since our first day back." Airelle's eyes sparkled brightly with good humor. "But honestly,

Lily, if you take everything Snape says seriously, you'll be in depression for the rest of your life."

The comment forced a laugh out of the Gryffindor girl, the first one Airelle had heard from her that night. 

"You know him so well, compared to how little I seem to care to know."

"Seem to care?" If this was going where she thought it was, she was going to have a hard time controlling herself the next time she saw Snape.

Lily pushed away from the wall in exasperation. "I don't want him to hate me."

Airelle allowed herself the pleasure of a smile. "Oh, Lily, he certainly does _not_ hate you."

"He certainly acts like it," she retorted.

"Yes, well, he's very good at acting like he hates the world. Trust me, Lily. He wants to be your friend." She restrained herself from saying further on the

subject. "You just have to ignore the biting sarcasm."

"I know. And I have to learn to pay attention to all of my friends." She smiled shyly at Airelle, who grinned back.

"We all could learn to do that, Lily."

~ * ~

As if a spur-of-the-moment decision, Lily threw her arms around Airelle in a brief hug. "Thanks," she whispered, before turning to head back to the Gryffindor dorm. Now at least she could bear to spend the rest of the night with her gossipy friends. The

next step would be actually talking to Snape, though she was far from thrilled about the idea. He wasn't nearly as good at talking as Airelle was.

And _that_ was an understatement.


	3. Chapter Three

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Chapter Three

It seemed a perfectly normal morning when The Letter came.

Lily was laughing at Sirius's usual moronic antics involving breakfast food while Remus helped Peter with his Potions homework and James threw winks at her from across the table. 

She could feel a cold pair of eyes on her from across the room, and somehow knew that they belonged to Severus. She concluded that she would have to talk to him sooner or later. 

Everything was so blissfully perfect.

And then....

"Miss Evans?"

Lily looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing above her, looking unusually grim.

"Oooh, Lily," Sirius said teasingly. "You've gone off and gotten yourself in trouble, haven't you?"

"Hush, Black," snapped Professor McGonagall before continuing, in a much gentler tone, "Evans, may I see you in the hall for a moment?"

Utterly bewildered, Lily nodded and followed the Transfiguration professor out of the Great Hall.

"E...Evans," Professor McGonagall said, biting her lip. 

Nervousness began to dance through Lily's veins.

"Yes?"

"I...I received a letter this morning," the professor continued gravely. "And..."

"What is it?" Lily asked, urgently.

"Evans...your home in London was...attacked last night."

"...What?" Lily whispered. The volume in her voice rose, radiating barely-contained hysterical panic. "What?? Is everyone all right? Mum, Dad, Petunia?"

"Your sister is fine," Professor McGonagall responded softly.

At first, all Lily heard was _fine_. Fine, fine, everyone was fine.

And then....

"_Just_ my sister?" 

Professor McGonagall nodded in verification, looking pained.

"Are my mum and dad okay?" she asked weakly.

A wet veil of unshed tears had gathered in the professor's eyes as she shook her head.

"What's wrong with them?" Lily demanded, voice trembling. "Are they hurt, are they badly injured?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head again. "No, Miss Evans."

Realization threatened to ensnare her, but she fought it desperately, fervently. _No._ They couldn't be...

"They can't be...."

"Dead," Professor McGonagall finished softly. "Lily, your parents are dead."

And in that instant, her world stopped, and all she could see was her mother's sweet smile and her father's green eyes.

"No," she breathed, barely audible. The world seemed to spin suddenly, and the floor took on a strange tilt. She stumbled back, her hands finding and gripping the cool stones of the wall in a desperate effort to remain upright. But it was still a difficult thing.

She was vaguely aware of Professor McGonagall speaking to her, no doubt asking if she was okay. What a silly question. How could she be okay? Her parents were dead... she was an... her breath hitched at the thought... orphan. The room spun more, and the floor seemed to be coming closer than it had been, almost too close.

And suddenly, strong arms were wrapped around her, lifting her almost effortlessly. The action brought a flood of strange relief, and she stumped against the body, letting everything go blank.

A few minutes later, a low voice interrupted her brief reprieve. "Lily... Lily, I need the password."

"Password?" she mumbled.

The voice took on a strained edge, which was when she recognized who exactly owned the voice- Severus Snape. "To Gryffindor Hall."

She closed her eyes. Somehow he had known that all she wanted to do was to curl up in her familiar bed, not be faced with the harsh starkness of the hospital wing. "Thank you, Severus..." she whispered.

He swallowed. "Lily, the password."

"Roseroot."

She heard the word repeated in Snape's voice and she let herself relax against him once again as he carried her up the stairs. A tiny smile creased her lips. She had never known a Slytherin to be such a gentleman.

Of course, she would probably never see it again.

After he was able to persuade the password to her dorm from her lips, Lily found herself being lightly set down onto her soft quilt... the quilt her mum had made and sent to her. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and she clung to the material almost desperately.

She buried her face in her pillow, letting her red locks fall down to form a protective curtain around her. Only then did she let herself actually cry.

* * *

Snape stood awkwardly beside her bed. Admittedly, he had never seen a girl cry before. Oh sure, there had been a few tears after one of his snarky comments or when a fellow student had failed a test.

But never like this.

Lily's thin shoulders shook with her silent sobs, as did the rest of her body. He felt as if he should do something...

He tried to imagine what James would do were he in this situation, but he found that thinking like a Gryffindor was too damaging to his intelligence. So he simply sat down in a chair beside her bed and waited until she finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

Then he left her in what peace she could find.

* * *

_Where is she??_

James desperately studied the Great Hall doors, searching for a glimpse of red hair or sweet laughter. McGonagall had led her outside nearly fifteen minutes ago.

"...Right, Jamesie?" Sirius asked brightly, and only then did James realize that a conversation had been going on around him and he'd tuned it out without even noticing.

"Mmm-hmm," James said distractedly, still studying the doors.

"Have you heard a single word I said?" Sirius asked, annoyed.

"Nope," James responded promptly before rising from the table. "I'm going to look for Lily."

Sirius snorted. "Figures."

James rolled his eyes before crossing the Great Hall, tension building with every step he took. There was something wrong with her, he knew it. He stepped outside to find that neither Lily nor Professor McGonagall were in sight, and his heartbeat quickened. His surroundings flew by in a frenzied blur as he hurried down corridors and up staircases to Gryffindor Tower.

When he finally reached his destination, he was tired and out of breath, and the Fat Lady studied him, interested.

"Why were you running?" she asked.

"Never mind," he said quickly. "Just let me in. Roseroot, roseroot."

The portrait hole swung open, and James rushed into the common room, only to abruptly collide with someone else.

"Sor..." his voice trailed off as he realized just _who_ that someone else was.

Severus Snape stood before him, looking awkward and unusually grim.

"What the hell are you doing in here, Snape?" James sneered at once. "The last time I checked, you weren't a Gryffindor."

"Clever, Potter," Snape muttered darkly, attempting to brush past him. 

"No, wait," James ordered gruffly. "You didn't answer my question. What the _hell_ are you doing in here?"

"I don't know why you would expect me to answer anything for _you_, Potter," Snape shot back evenly. "Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"_What_ are you doing here?" James demanded.

"I came with Lily," Snape said simply.

James immediately felt his annoyance morph into full-out fury. Why the hell couldn't the slimy bastard just stay away from her??

"And what are you doing with her, Snape?" James asked, smirking. "Fancy her, do you? Think she'd stoop so low??"

"If she's already involved with you, Potter, then I don't see how she could stoop any lower."

"Listen, Snape," James growled, lowering his voice and stepping closer. "I want you to stay away from her."

"Since when is what you want any of my concern?" Snape asked coldly.

James studied Snape's face in loathing and pictured his fist colliding with that awful hooked nose in a satisfying crunch.

_If he says one more thing, I'll punch him,_ he thought angrily. _I swear to God I'll punch him._

"Your little infatuation with that Vilka bitch is one thing, Snape," James hissed. "But Lily's far out of your league. Go back to your pretty little Mudblood and don't mess with Lil. You're not worth her time."

In one swift movement, Snape's fist plunged towards James' face, and fiery pain seemed to explode through his body. 

"You _bastard_!" James shouted, waving his fists sloppily through the air in an attempt to strike Snape back. He could feel sticky blood trickling down his face.

"I wouldn't throw around the term 'Mudblood', Potter," Snape said coolly. "In case you've forgotten, your precious Evans is Muggleborn as well." He paused. "Or perhaps you don't know her as well as a friend should? Anyone with half a brain cell knows what you want from her, you know. It's quite unlikely that you actually _care_ about her."

"Get the _hell_ out of here, Snape," James ordered viciously. "Get the hell out of here, or I swear I'll kill you."

Snape studied James skeptically for a moment.

"How intimidating," he deadpanned before turning and making his way rapidly toward the portrait hole. He swung it open, and was about to step out when he turned and said loftily, "And by the way, Potter, her parents are dead."

And with that, he disappeared.


	4. Chapter Four

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Chapter Four

He didn't know why he'd said it.

James knew that he could be a bit of a prat at times. He knew that he was quite good at saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

But he really didn't know why he'd said it.

His own voice echoed through his mind, haunting him as it had ever since the words had spilled from his lips.

_'Go back to your pretty little Mudblood.'_

He felt sickened each time it ran through his mind - dirty somehow. He was no stranger to swear words, and had said quite a few in his time.

But he'd never been like that. Never.

When it all came down to it, it was Snape. He'd wanted to hurt him, to shock him, to render him speechless and just get _rid_ of him. James had never liked the sinister Slytherin, but this year he found himself downright _hating_ him.

But he shouldn't have said it. 

It was Lily. James had fancied her for years now, but it always seemed that she liked Snape in the way she never could him. James understood it, vaguely - she saw him as shallow, a good laugh but no one she could come to for anything serious. Under the layers of grease and grime, Severus Snape was deep, and one could tell. It was something that seemed to surround him - perhaps it proclaimed itself in his endless black eyes.

Next to him, James knew he was nothing.

It was odd, being nothing. He didn't normally consider himself conceited, but when it all came down to it, he was good at everything. He excelled in his classes, he was a star Quidditch player, he was rather popular, the teachers all liked him...

Okay, perhaps he _was_ a bit conceited. But he had good intentions at least! Better than any that great bat had...

But Snape aside, all he wanted was Lily. She wasn't like other girls... there was something... magical about her.

Great Merlin, since when had he become so cliché?

The answer was easy- since he had fallen for her. Snape was wrong, he didn't just want her for _that_ reason. He wasn't that shallow, at least.

He turned towards the staircase. Lily... Was what Snape had said true? That her parents were dead? Even Snape wouldn't lie about a thing like that, he knew. Slowly, he climbed the stairs and pushed lightly on the door to her dorm room. It was open and allowed him inside.

He spotted her immediately in the corner of the room, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared blankly out the window and watched the snowflakes dance from a steel gray sky.

A bit nervous, he bit his lip and walked slowly toward her. When he stood only a foot or so away, he whispered, "Lil?"

She turned to look at him; her expression didn't change. Red lines danced through her eyes, and she looked pale and sickly.

"God, Lil, I'm so sorry," he said weakly, sinking down onto the floor next to her.

She was silent as she rested her head on his shoulder. A bit awkwardly, he wrapped an arm around her slim shoulders. 

"It's my fault," she said tonelessly. "It's my fault that they're dead. The Dark Lord...He wants to hurt me for some reason. He wants to show me that he can destroy me."

"No," James argued lightly. "Lily, don't even think like that. Why would the Dark Lord single you out? I'm sure it was just..."

"There's something I haven't told you, James," she mumbled. "Something about him."

Nervousness immediately engulfed him.

"What?" he asked at once. "What is it?"

"Trelawney," she said softly. "You remember a few weeks ago, when I had to stay after class because I dropped that tea cup and broke it?"

James nodded slowly.

"She...told me something," Lily said. "And it seemed like she was possessed when she said it. Her voice changed, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. It seemed like she was in some sort of trance."

"What did she say?" James urged.

"Darkness is rising," Lily quoted, her voice weak. "And it will only fall...when you do."

A shiver ran up and down his spine.

"She's an old cow," James proclaimed at once, speaking more rapidly than usual. "She's an old, crazed bat and she doesn't know what she's talking about-"

"No, James," Lily said simply. "And there's more."

With a very tired sort of sigh, she recited, "The Dark Lord will ruin you slowly, agonizingly slowly. He will prey on those you love; torture them, kill them, ensnare them with his propositions of greatness. And you can only watch, powerless...until he takes you as well."

They studied each other for a silent moment that seemed to last a thousand lifetimes. An aching seemed to tear apart his soul - he didn't want her hurting; he would rather his own life be torn to pieces than for her to cry a single tear. 

"I won't let him hurt you," he finally said in a determined sort of whisper. "I'll die before he hurts you."

"James, don't say that," she said at once, sounding almost scared.

"But I would," he said simply, pulling her a bit closer to him.

"He might hear you," she said quietly, desperately.

"Well," James said with a weak smile, "That would be awfully rude of him to eavesdrop like that."

Lily rolled her eyes, a vague hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"You're an idiot," she stated weakly. 

Relief filled him at this flash of the Lily he knew making a brief return, and he responded, without thinking, "You're really beautiful when you smile."

A light sigh escaped her lips, and she quickly leaned toward him and pecked him on the cheek. He felt an insanely giddy smile spread across his lips as she leaned back against his shoulder, rocking back and forth slightly.

He tentatively leaned toward her and planted a kiss in her scarlet hair.

And the room seemed to fill with silent 'I love you's that didn't need to be put down in words.

* * *

Severus strode through the corridors, his face set and teeth clenched. Malfoy's 'Let's Kill Potter Club' didn't sound so bad right about now. He absentmindedly rubbed his knuckles, still stinging from when he had lashed out at Potter. But oh, he had deserved it. How DARE he call Airelle a bitch... and a Mudblood no less! The brainless bastard.

He growled and the sound came out a bit louder than he had intended. A first year Hufflepuff let out a frightened squeak and scampered hurriedly away from him. He rolled his dark eyes upwards. Honestly.

Quickening his pace, he turned a corner and nearly ran into Lucius, who seemed to have been waiting for him. The blonde boy was leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed and one foot propped up on the wall behind him. He was talking to a pretty Slytherin girl who was known for... well, she was known for... uh... for her... willingness to take her clothes off.

When he spotted Snape, he waved the girl off and turned with a smile to his friend. "Ah, Severus, I've been waiting for you. Did you hear about the Muggle's parents?"

Snape's fist clenched involuntarily, but he restrained himself. "You seem... happy about it, Lucius," he commented carefully.

He shrugged casually. "You would be too, if you understood."

His eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer. "Understood... what?"

Malfoy smiled. "Everything is falling into place, my friend. And when it does, we will gain all the power we could possibly desire. That's what it's all about, Severus. Life or death doesn't matter... those all blend together in the end. But what really matters is what side you're on."

"Sides? What the hell are you talking about, Malfoy? And what do you mean by 'we'?"

Lucius shook his head, a twisted grin plastered to his face. "I swear, Snape, sometimes your thickness amazes me. I chose my side last year. It's time for you. He wants you, Snape. He wants you to join us."

Black eyes suddenly widened in realization. "You're a Death..."

In a second, Malfoy's hand was pressed over Snape's mouth. "Want to shout it to the world, idiot? Shut up." He glanced around before moving away, his eyes dangerous. "Think about it. He can give you everything... all the power you could dream of. You can do whatever you want and have whatever you want. But don't make any...hasty decisions... think about it." He grinned. "You know where to find me."

Lucius started to walk away, but Snape grabbed him by the arm. "I don't need to think, Malfoy. My answer is no. Tell your Lord that there is no way in hell I would ever..."

Instead of being angry, Lucius looked merely amused. "It's because of that Mudblood, isn't it?" At his surprised look, the other boy laughed. "I should have known! That little redhead's got you under her spell. It's been obvious for so long, Snape. I mean, really, half the school can see your pathetic infatuation."

Severus' grip on his arm tightened. "Shut. Up."

"No, no... you need to hear this." He smirked cruelly. "You really like her, don't you? You think she'll just fall right into those deep black eyes of yours, that you'll go off and live happily ever after in some middle-class house with shutters and a white-picket fence around it. Maybe even have a little dog, right?" 

He laughed at the idea, the sound icy-cold. "Face it, Snape, the chances of her choosing you over someone like Potter are about the same as her falling for a troll, though I actually think the troll would win over you." He moved closer to the black-haired Slytherin. "Looked in a mirror lately, Snape? It ain't a pretty sight. She just feels sorry for you... that's the only reason she even tolerates you. Wake up and smell the pumpkin juice my friend. The only place you'll ever be accepted is with us."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode away, his blonde hair breezing out slightly behind him. "You're wrong," Snape weakly said after a moment, but there was no one to hear him.


End file.
